A Canadian Blog about LEGO® Bricks

Rating System

I like to review the LEGO® sets that I build. But, the question arises, how do you rate LEGO® sets consistently so that you can compare sets of different sizes, costs, and themes? Well, I have devised a rating system. There is some inconsistency in my early set ratings since I have been developing this rating system as I go, and I will probably continue to modify it as new things come up that I have not considered yet. But, this is a description of how I am currently rating my sets.

Value

After purchasing several years of LEGO® sets, I have determined the current average cost per brick. This will obviously change with time, but as it stands, here is how I rate a set (prices in Canadian dollars, score out of a total of 5):

<$0.10 per brick = 5

$0.10 – 0.12 = 4.5

$0.13 – 0.15 = 4

$0.16 – 0.18 = 3.5

$0.19 – 0.21 = 3

$0.22 – 0.24 = 2.5

$0.25 – 0.27 = 2

>$0.28 = 1

Build

Every set starts off with 5 points. A set loses a mark for every thing that really bothers me about it. It also gains a mark for everything that I really like about it. The total grade for this section is on 10. This is fairly subjective, but you are presumably reading my posts for my opinion.

Minifigures

<<Updated July 24, 2017. Reviews prior to this worked on a similar 10 point system.>>
Each Minifigure in a set is graded on 15. To make sets with different numbers of Minifigs comparible, an average of all Minifigure scores for a set is calculated in the end. Each of the following criteria earns a Minifigure points:

In addition to the Minifigure score, I also grade a set based on the ratio of bricks per Minifigure. Each set can get a total of 5 points for this, determined as follows:

1 Minifig per 100 pieces or less = 5

1 Minifig per 101 – 149 pieces = 4.5

1 Minifig per 150 – 199 pieces = 4

1 Minifig per 200 – 249 pieces = 3.5

1 Minifig per 250 – 299 pieces = 3

1 Minifig per 300 – 349 pieces = 2.5

1 Minifig per 350 – 399 pieces = 2

1 Minifig per 400 – 449 pieces = 1.5

1 Minifig per 450 pieces or more = 1

I weight each of these two scores (Minifigure average and ratio of bricks per Minifigure) evenly. I determine the average of the two grades to figure out the overall Minifigure rating.

Entertainment

After completing a few reviews, and timing how long it takes me to build each set, I have determined my average cost per minute for building one LEGO® set. I feel that this is an important part of the building experience, because everyone wants to get the most value out of their entertainment, right? LEGO® is an expensive hobby, and I used to rate it based on how it compared to other forms of entertainment. But, I felt that did not accurately reflect how much enjoyment I actually got out of each experience. So, starting in February 2017, I have changed my build time score to compare LEGO® sets with other LEGO® sets. Based on my last year’s worth of LEGO® sets, my average cost per minute of build time is $0.85 <<updated Jan. 1, 2019, prior to that it was $0.75>>. Right now, on a total score of 5, I rate sets according to the following:

Under $0.70 per minute of building time = 5

$0.71 – 0.75 = 4.5

$0.76 – 0.80 = 4

$0.81 – 0.85 = 3.5

$0.86 – 0.90 = 3

$0.91 – 0.95 = 2.5

$0.96 – 1.00 = 2

$1.01 – 1.05 = 1.5

Over $1.06 = 1

I also rate entertainment value based on how much I like a set, and how likely I am to keep it built as intended. Again, this is fairly subjective, but a review is supposed to be what I think about a set. Here is how I score each set:

5 = I would not change a thing

4 = I will keep it mostly as intended, but will modify it a little to suit my needs

3 = I will keep part of it, and repurpose the rest of the pieces

2 = I will not keep it built, but the pieces it comes with are good

1 = I will not keep it built, and the pieces it comes with are nothing special

I then average out the scores for cost per minute of building time and how much I like the set. This gives the overall score for entertainment value.

Overall Score

Finally, I take the value, build, Minifigure, and entertainment scores and find their average. In this case, each section carries the same weight and is worth 25% of the overall score that I give a set.